Panoramic (wrap-around) windshield on a 1959 Edsel Corsair.

The windshield (also known as the windscreen) of an aircraft, automobile, bus, motorcycle, or tram is the front window. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, which consists of two (typically) curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are glued into the window frame. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Karl Benzs Velo model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile or motor car (usually shortened to just car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... For other uses, see Bus (disambiguation). ... A variety of parked motorcycles A motorcycle or motorbike is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle powered by an engine. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that window frames be merged into this article or section. ... Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this sphere from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Laminate flooring Laminated core transformer A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. ... A polyurethane is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links. ...

Motorcycle windscreens are often made of high-impact acrylic plastic. As the name implies, their main function is to shield the driver from the wind, though they do not do so as totally as those of a car. Structure of methyl methacrylate, the monomer that makes up PMMA Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. ...

Usage

In daily use, windshields mainly protect the vehicle's occupants from wind, temperature extremes, and flying debris such as dust, insects, and rocks, as well as providing an aerodynamically formed window towards the front. UV Coating may be applied to screen out harmful ultraviolet light. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Debris (French, pronounced (IPA) dibri) is a word used to describe the remains of something that has been otherwise destroyed. ... Look up dust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (may be paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Caloneurodea - extinct Titanoptera - extinct Protorthoptera - extinct Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera... This balancing rock, Steamboat Rock stands in Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, CO The rocky side of a mountain creek near Orosí, Costa Rica. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... UV coating is the name given to various processes and coverings that utilize or protect against ultraviolet radiation. ... “UV” redirects here. ...

Safety

Early windscreens were made of ordinary window glass, but that could lead to serious injuries in the event of a crash. They were replaced with windshields made of toughened glass and were fitted in the frame using a rubber or neoprene seal. The hardened glass shattered into many mostly harmless fragments when the windscreen broke. These windshields, however, could shatter from a simple stone chip. Especially in police cars this was seen as a problem and it led to the development of the laminated glass windows most cars use. However, there have been some concern over the risk of decapitation and some cars instead use a windscreen of lexan. Architectural glass has been used in buildings since the 11th century. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Neoprene is the DuPont Chemical trade name for a family of synthetic rubbers based on polychloroprene. ... Compression seal example A mechanical seal is a device which helps join systems or mechanisms together by preventing leakage (e. ... Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Split and raked windshield on a 1952 DeSoto. Note the panes of glass are flat.

The modern, glued-in screens contribute to the vehicle's rigidity, but the main forcing in innovating the windshield has historically been the need to prevent injury from sharp glass fragments. Modern windshields, now almost universally required in all nations, do not fragment, but tend to stay in one piece even if broken, except if pierced locally by a strong force. Properly installed automobile windshields are also essential to safety; along with the roof of the car, they provide protection in the case of a roll-over accident in the vehicle. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Other aspects

In many places, laws restrict the use of heavily tinted glass in vehicle windshields; generally, laws specify the maximum level of tint permitted. Some vehicles have noticeably more tint in the uppermost part of the windshield of motor vehicles that blocks glare from the sun. Window tinting is the application of a thin specially designed film to the inside of the windows of vehicle. ... This time exposure photo of New York City shows sky glow, one form of light pollution. ... The Sun (Latin: Sol) is the star at the center of the Solar System. ...

In aircraft windscreens, a current is applied through a conducting layer of tin(IV) oxide to generate heat to prevent icing. A similar system for automobile windshields, introduced on Ford vehicles as "Quickclear" in Europe ("InstaClear" in North America) in the 1980s, uses very thin heating wires or conductive-film layer embedded between the two laminations. General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Standard atomic weight 118. ... An oxide is a chemical compound containing an oxygen atom and other elements. ... For other uses, see Heat (disambiguation) In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is energy transferred from one body or system to another as a result of a difference in temperature. ... Frost on black pipes Frost is a solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales. ... Quickclear is a European trademark used by the Ford Motor Company for its electrically heated windshield technology. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Using thermal glass has one downside: it prevents some navigation systems from functioning correctly, as the embedded metal jams the satellite signal. This can be resolved by using an external antenna for the navigation system. A taxi in Kyoto, equipped with GPS navigation system An automotive navigation system is a satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles. ... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ...

Automobile windshield displaying "spiderweb" cracking typical of laminated safety glass.

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1349x655, 244 KB) Summary Windshield with spiderweb cracking. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1349x655, 244 KB) Summary Windshield with spiderweb cracking. ...

Terminology

The term windshield is used generally throughout North America, although windscreen is often used for motorcycles and similar vehicles. The term windscreen is the usual term in the UK and Australia/New Zealand for all vehicles. In Japanese English, it is called "front glass". Wasei-eigo (和製英語 wasei eigo, lit. ...

In the USA, windscreen refers to the mesh or foam screen placed over a microphone to minimize wind noise, while a windshield refers to the front window of a car. In the UK, the meaning of these terms is reversed. A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. ...

Today’s windshields are a safety device just like seat belts and air bags. The installation of the auto glass is done with an automotive grade urethane designed specifically for automobiles. The adhesive creates a molecular bond between the glass and the vehicle. If the adhesive bond fails at any point on the glass it can reduce the effectiveness of the air bag and substantially compromise the structural integrity of the roof. (Raymond Clough)

Brookland aeroscreen on a 1931 Austin Seven Sports.

Auto windscreens less than 20 cm (8 inches) in height are sometimes known as aeroscreens since they only deflect the wind. The twin aeroscreen setup (often called Brooklands) was popular among older sports and modern cars in vintage style. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 730 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1677 × 1377 pixel, file size: 398 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 730 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1677 × 1377 pixel, file size: 398 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Mini is the name of a rather petite car produced from 1959 to 2000, and the name of a newer one known as New MINI launched in 2001. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ... Brooklands was a motor racing circuit built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. ...

A wiperless windshield is a windshield that uses a mechanism other than wipers to remove snow and rain from the windshield. The concept car Acura TL features a wiperless windshield using a series of jet nozzles in the cowl to blow pressurized air onto the windshield. A windscreen wiper (windshield wiper in North America) is a device used to wipe rain and dirt from a windscreen. ... Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. ... Rain is a type of precipitation which forms when separate drops of water fall to the Earths surface from clouds. ... The Acura TL is a mid-size luxury car from Hondas Acura brand. ... Rocket Nozzle A nozzle is a mechanical device designed to control the characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits from an enclosed chamber into some medium. ... A cowling is a covering of an engine in a motorcycle or other automobile, or in aircraft. ... The use of water pressure - the Captain Cook Memorial Jet in Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia. ...

Stone chip and crack damage

Many types of stone damage can be successfully repaired. Bullseyes, cracks, starbreaks or a combination of all three, can be repaired without removing the screen, eliminating the risk of leaking or bonding problems sometimes associated with replacement. Look up bullseye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

See also

• Windshield/windscreen wiper